Chapter 9
The sounds of cracking branches, rustling leaves, and chattering voices rouse me. I can't have been asleep very long. Squinting I can just make out the faint glow of hand held lanterns. It's the career pack and they've stopped right underneath the tree I'm in. This is bad.
I hear the voice of the district for girl Anemone, "This sucks! We haven't found any more tributes"
"It's pretty late, maybe we should just set up camp where we are?"
No, no, no. Please do not set up camp here.
"Opal's right we need rest." This time it's the district two boy who speaks, whose name is Augustin. I can see his face, lit up from the lanterns.
I dare not move a muscle. The slightest movement will give away my position. I'm low in the tree where the branches are still thick. The dark is my only means of camouflage. If there was maybe only one or two of them I could pick them off from right here. This is not the case though. There is too many of them.
"I want to find that bastard from District seven! Who does he think he is, taking my spear like that!" The angry voice of Amber echoes through the trees.
"Amber, we have plenty of weapons. We stop here." Says Kingsley firmly.
Amber's tone changes completely, "Whatever you say handsome."
I hear Kingsley make a noise of disgust as he leans away from her. I follow Kingsley's eyes as they move around until they settle right on the spot where I'm sitting. He squints. Has he spotted me? He stares and I don't even dare to breathe.
"Hey! Kingsley! Are you coming?" the voice of Augustin breaks him out of his daze.
"What? Oh. Yeah."
And he is out of sight.
The Careers have set up camp about ten meters away. I have to wait until they've fallen asleep. I'm forced to leave the tarp, it'll make too much noise if I try and bring it with me. Moving through the trees is almost soundless and the rain muffles it even more. I travel for about half an hour before I settle again.
I jolt awake. The rain has stopped. It must be late morning, but it's hard to tell because dark clouds cover the sky and there's still a low-lying fog. I pull myself up and climb down from the tree.
I eat some berries and one of the oranges from my pack and carry on walking for the day. Morning and afternoon sort of melds into one here, you can't even see the sun. The cold here really gets into your bones here because of the moisture. It feels ten times colder than it actually is. As this thought crosses my mind I see smoke billowing through the trees about two kilometers away from me. I have the right mind not to stay in the area too long, so I go a different direction.
Boom!
That is surely the fire starter's cannon. I keep moving. I have to find some source of water, since I could not collect the water from my tarp. After an hour I find a ravine with a bubbling creek below. I fill up my water bottle and climb back up the other side of the ravine but it crumbles away under my feet and I tumble back down. The fall mostly winds me but I find myself whipping my hand away where it landed in a shriek of pain.
My fingers are already turning red. I look to where my hand was, there's a sinister looking patch of stinging nettles. I sigh a breath of relief stinging nettle only hurts for a while. My relief is short lived, the pain has doubled since I've fallen and I watch in horror as grotesque blisters form on my fingers. The rate at which this happens is ridiculous and in less than a minute I can't move my right hand.
These were no ordinary stinging nettles. Abominations made by the gamemakers and planted in the arena. In a fit of anger I stomp out the nasty Capitol plants with by boot.
Finally making my way up the ravine I sit at the base of a cedar and tend to my wound. It's oozing now and the pain is out of this world. There's nothing in my first aid kit that looks like it'll help. Nonetheless I put some antiseptic on it, which I regret because it burned for hours.
Boom!
Another one? Who was it this time?
Boom!
What? They're dropping like flies today! I pick up my pack and keep heading forward. I have absolutely no idea what direction I'm headed in. Since thick clouds always cover the sun I can't even guess. After getting through a patch of difficult bush I almost scream at what I see. Now I know what that third cannon was.
There's little Snow from district twelve, dangling upside down from a tree branch, most certainly dead. I scramble back into the bush where I came from. I run as far as I can until I can't run anymore, tears well in my eyes. She didn't deserve this. No one deserves this! Here we are though. That was my trap! I killed her! This poor little innocent girl didn't even stand a chance. She must have got caught early yesterday. I wedge myself in-between some bushes and stay there.
I examine my hand, which is even worse now; the bright red swollen flesh makes me sick to my stomach. I found some dock leaves that are known to relive nettle stings but they haven't helped very much on the Capitol variety. I'm stuck in this bush for the night. I can't climb with my bum hand that is about as useful as a stub. I don't feel safe here.
Once it gets dark it begins to pour again. I flip my hood up but it doesn't do me any good. The Capitol symbol shines in the sky and the anthem begins to play. The day is done; I have survived for another day. The fallen skips right to district four and I am surprised to see the shining face of Anemone, the female tribute. What on earth happened to her that she died on the second day? Then District eleven, Pomona. She must have been the one that lit the fire. I know District eleven is supposed to be a warm place; she must have been really struggling. Finally there is Snow from District 12. Her small round face and those icy blue eyes. The anthem cuts and the sky is dark again.
I try to sleep but the pain in my hand is unbearable. The blisters are now festering. I don't understand how this is happening at such an accelerated rate. Only medicine can fix this, fancy capitol medicine. Without the use of my right hand I am pretty much useless. I have no way to fight or defend myself. I can't throw knives and I can't climb, heck, I can barely eat. You try peeling an orange with one hand. The Capitol citizens should be able to notice this. Johanna should notice. Just in case, I look up to the sky and whimper quietly.
"Johanna…"